I’ve said recently that the biggest mistake most cruise job seekers make is NOT following up on their job applications.
Well, the proof is in the pudding, as they say…
Natalie from Australia and a member of www.WorkOnCruiseShips.com took my advice to heart and last week she was hired by Holland America Line as a Librarian.
Here’s Natalie’s advice about how she landed her cruise job:
"The best advice I can give people is to not give up and to just keep on following up… Be keen and persistent, but always do it in a professional manner.
"At times I seriously thought they were not interested in me, but every week without fail I emailed them again telling them how interested I was. Then I followed up with another email telling them how appreciative I would be if they just gave me an opportunity to discuss my experience.
"They did eventually reply showing interest… but then I didn’t hear back again for another 6 weeks! Finally, they got back to me after noticing all the emails and follow ups I had sent. I eventually had my first interview, but even then I had to chase them up again to get the second interview!!
"So you see how persistence works? Just keep being positive, keep picking yourself up and keep going – that’s the best piece of advice I can give!"
Most people I speak to would NOT have been this persistent – and that’s the main reason why they are still at home dreaming about traveling the world and today Natalie is about to live that dream.
Incidentally, I just checked out her ship’s itinerary and over the next 6 months she’ll be visiting: Italy, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Turkey, Sicily, Great Britain, Portugal, Florida, St. Lucia, Barbados, St Maarten, Tortola, Bahamas, Martinique, Aruba, Dominica, St Thomas and more …and she’ll be getting paid for it!
Is that not worth the extra time and effort it takes to send a few follow-up emails?!